Arianne James: KSP allowed me to live and breathe my novel in a way I haven’t yet been able to

After a long (and delayed), flight from Hobart, it was such a relief to arrive at KSP.

I’d been looking forward to this residency for months and to finally be standing in Katherine’s gorgeous garden, and wandering down to my cabin, it was hard not to squeal.

I fell in love with the native bees who live in the tree outside Clarke cabin. I spent a lot of time watching them from that beautiful big window – their changing rhythms, their quiet busyness. They were lovely company.

I tried to take each day as it came and work on whichever aspects of my novel I was drawn to. I loved sitting at my huge desk and brainstorming character arcs free hand in my notebook, or writing introductions to scenes that I would then type up and keep typing as more of the story unfolded. By the end of my two weeks I had completely surprised myself by writing 40,000 new words, which I still can’t quite believe.

KSP allowed me to live and breathe my novel in a way I haven’t yet been able to, and as a result of this mental space I now feel I know my characters on a much deeper level. I think one of the best gifts KSP gives is the time to spend alone with your thoughts, in your own mind. There are no distractions save for the ones you make for yourself – walking, reading, exploring the garden and talking to the bees. And they aren’t distractions so much as allowing your subconscious the time to work its magic. KSP is a haven for reflection, for stillness, for daydreaming. One morning I woke from a vivid dream that I then immediately began to fashion into a short story.

It’s a thrill to join the KSP alumni community, and my experience as an upcoming fellow was enormously validating, confirming once again that writing is how I want to spend my “one wild and precious life,” as Mary Oliver would say.

Top 10 Tips:

1. Establish routines/rituals. I loved sitting in the recliner each morning and reading with my breakfast. Then I would write till lunchtime, after which I’d go for a walk or do some more reading, before getting back to the desk. In the evenings, sometimes I’d keep writing if I was on a role, or I would chat to my lovely cabin neighbour over a wine in the main house.

2. Listen to your body. If you’re not normally an early riser, don’t feel pressure to get up early just because you’re on a residency. Allow your body to rest when it wants to. You’ll be more productive.

3. Use the whiteboard. I didn’t think I would, as I don’t have one at home and its not something I’m used to, but it was so much fun! And very satisfying to wipe over and start again. I felt like a mad scientist.

4. Drink lots of tea/coffee. I believe writers are a special breed of human and there is no limit to the amount of caffeine we can consume.

5. Take a notebook into the garden and do some writing/brainstorming free hand. This is one of my favourite ways to unblock and find a new perspective on a scene or character.

6.  Don’t be afraid to daydream. Stare out at that gorgeous garden view and watch the bees at work. Listen to the birds and watch the light change. Allow your subconscious to do its thing.

7.  Trust your process. I’m not a linear writer, which is quite a messy process, but it works for me and I couldn’t imagine writing any other way. Don’t feel you need to adhere to a certain ‘code’ for a writing process. None exists. It’s completely up to you.

8. Write a to do list for each day, listing the things you want to achieve with your project. But make sure it’s a flexible list, and don’t worry if you don’t tick everything off. I find it helpful to have a bit of a blueprint for what I want begin working on each day.

9. Allow yourself to sink into the depths of your creativity. You have entered a different realm. Turn your phone off and don’t be tempted to answer emails. This time belongs to you and you alone. Surrender to the KSP wavelength.

10. Remember that you are magic. It might sometimes feel that the words that pour forth have come from some divine source, but that divine source is you. Take a moment to revel in the fact that you get to create worlds and characters from nothing. What an incredibly beautiful thing that is. What a privilege.

Arianne James, KSP Upcoming Writer-in-Residence, June 2024